Relay



May 15, 1934. T. REYMAN 1,958,713

RELAY Filed April 11. 1931 INSUMT/ON INVENTOR 7/7ead0re Rey/nan ATTORNEYPatented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relatesto improvements in sensitive relays, and has for an object the provisionof a relay adapted to be operated by very minute currents.

Another object is the provision, in a relay, of moving coils carried byan armature in such manner that a small movement of the coils causesgreater movement of contact points carried on the opposite end of thearmature.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in a relay, of aconstant magneto motive force acting on the coils thereof.

Still another object is the provision, in a relay, of an electromagnetomotive force, which may be made any desired value, adapted to act uponthe coils thereof.

A still further object is to provide, in a twoway relay, tension againstthe operation thereof and means for adjusting the same.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view partly in section along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing one method of applying tension tothe armature of a relay such as shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the inventionwherein an electromagneto motive force is employed.

A permanent magnet 10 has shoes 11 and 12 secured to the pole piecesthereof. These shoes 35 are preferably made of round material. A

bracket 13 is mounted adjacent to shoes 11 and 12 and the bracket andshoes are firmly secured to the magnet by screws 14 and 15. These screwsalso secure the magnet to the 0 supports 16 and 17.

The bracket 13 has two arms 18 and 19 extending beyond the ends of thepole shoes 11 and 12 and carrying adjustable pivot screws 20 and 21. Apivot shaft 22 supported by the 45 screws 20 and 21 carries a movablearmature 23. This armature carries brackets 24 and 25, preferably ofvery light material, and coils or solenoids 26 and 27 are secured to thebrackets 24 and 25.

The pivot shaft 22 carries spiral springs 28 and 29, the latter of whichis insulated from the shaft 22. These spiral springs are preferably ofphosphor bronze or some other highly conductive material.

A lever 30 supported by the pivot screw 21 is provided for adjusting thetension of the spring 28 and also serves as a conductor for supplyingcurrent to the spring 28. This lever is connected to a binding post 31by wire 32. A lever 33 carried by the screw 20 is insulated therefrom byinsulating washers 34 and connected to the spiral spring 29, whichserves to adjust the tension thereof and also to conduct currentthereto. This lever 33 is connected to binding post 35 by wire 36.

The solenoids 26 and 27 are so connected to the springs 28 and 29 thatthe polarities, when current flows therethrough, are the same on theends adjacent to the shoes 11 and 12. For example, assuming that theshoe 11 has a north polarity, the adjacent end of the solenoid 26 wouldalso have a north polarity, and the shoe 12 would have a south polarityand the adjacent end of the solenoid 27 would have a north polarity.When current flows the solenoid 26, having a north pole adjacent to theshoe 11 which also has a nort polarity, is repelled thereby and movesaway from the shoe 11, and the solenoid 27, having a north polarity onits end adjacent to the shoe 12 which has a south polarity, is attractedthereby and moves toward the shoe 12.

The bracket 13 carries an arm 37 which is insulated therefrom byinsulation 38 and secured thereto by screws 39. This arm carries in itsouter end a contact screw 40 which may be adjusted and locked in anydesired position by lock nut 41. A suitable contact 42 is provided onthe end of the screw 40.

A similar arm 43 is carried by the opposite arm of the bracket 13 and isinsulated therefrom by insulation 44 and secured thereto by screws 45.This arm carries in its outer end a contact screw 46 which may beadjusted and locked in any desired position by a lock nut 47. A suitablecontact 48 is provided on the end of the screw 46.

The armature 23 has an extension 49, preferably of reduced dimension,which carries in its outer end the contact points 50 and 51 which areadapted to make contact with the points 42 and 48 respectively.

The arm 37 is connected to a binding post 52 by a conductor 53, the arm43 is connected to a binding post 54 by a conductor 55 and the armatureis connected to binding post 56 via the spring 28, the lever 30, wire 32and the conductor 57.

In figure 1 the contact point 50 is shown in contact with the point 42and when current is sent through the solenoids 26 and 27 via the bindingposts 31 and 35, the solenoid 26 is repelled by the shoe 11 and thesolenoid 27 is attracted by the shoe 12, causing the armature to swingin a clock-wise direction thereby breaking the contact between points 50and 42 and making the point 51 contact with the point 48, thusestablishing a circuit across the terminals or binding posts 54, 56. Assoon as current ceases to flow through the solenoids 26 and 27 thearmature moves back to a normal position and contact is againestablished between the points 50 and 42.

fact that the contact points are a substantial.

distance from the pivots, produces a reiay which is very sensitive tominute currents and very little movement of the solenoids produces asubstantial movement of the end of the armature carrying the contactpoints.

7 Where it is desired to carry larger currents through the contactpoints and where a larger current. is available to. operate the relay,an extension 58 may be provided on the armature and a spring 59 may beattached thereto and adjustment may be provided by means or" a post 66supported on a base 61 having a screw 62, connected to the opposite endof the spring 59, and a thumb nut 63 which may be turned to the rightto' tighten the spring or to the left to loosen the spring.

The relay shown in Figure 5 is the same as the one shown in Figure 1,except that an electromagnet is provided instead of a pennanentxmagnet.The electromagnet has legs 64 and 65 with a yoke 66 therebetween. Awinding 67 is provided on the'yoke'66 and is connected to the terminals68, 69, by conductors 70 and 71 respectively. The shoes 11 and12 and thebracket 13 are mounted on the legs 64 and 65 in the same mannerasdescribed above.

This last form of relay may have some advantages in certain applicationsbecause the strength of the magneticfield may be varied or fixed at anydesired value.

While the center terminal 56 is shown connected to the conductor32,.which connects to one side of the solenoid, it may be desirable insome cases to isolate the actuating circuit from the external circuit.In such cases the spiral spring 28 may be insulated from the shaft 22and a third spiral spring mounted on the shaft 22 and connected thereto,with its other end directly connected to 'the terminal 56.

The supports 16 and 1'? may be secured to the base 61 by any suitablemeans, such as the screws 72, 73.

The relay herein disclosed is very sensitive and is capable of operatingon very small values of current. With some types of photo cells thisrelay may be operated directly and without the use of amplification, andalthough sensitive to small currents the relay is very rugged and strongmechanically.

Many modifications in the device may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from. the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a magnet for providing amagnetic field having two poles, an armature, a pair of solenoids car- 7ried by said armature and located near said poles, and a means forcausing the; ends of the solenoids adjacent to said poles to assume alike polarity.

2. In a device of the character described, a magnet for providing amagnetic field having two poles, a pivoted armature, a pair of solenoidscarried by said armature and located near said poles, and means forcausing the ends of the solenoids adjacent to said poles to assume alike polarity whereby one of said solenoids is attracted by the poleadjacent thereto and the other solenoid is repelled by its adjacentpole.

.3. In a device of the character described. a magnet for providing amagnetic field having two poles, a pivoted armature, a pair of solenoidscarried by said armature and located near said poles, a contact pointcarried by said armature, a second contact point adapted to be contactedby said first point, and means for causing the ends of the solenoidsadjacent to said poles to assume alike polarity whereby one of saidsolenoids is attracted by the pole adjacent thereto and the othersolenoid is repelled by its adjacent pole whereby said armature is movedand said points make contact with each other.

4. In a relay, a base, a field magnet mounted on said base having poleshoes, an armature, a pivot shaft supporting said armaturesoienoids onthe armature encircling said pole shoes, said solenoids adapted to beenergized by current passing therethrough. in. such direction that oneof the solenoids assumes a like polarity to that of the shoe which itencircles, and the other solenoid assumes a polarity opposite to that ofthe shoe which it encircles, contact points on opposite sides of saidarmature, two fixed contact points adapted to be engaged by said firstcontact points, and springs on said shaft adapted to hold said armaturein such position that one pair of said contacts is normally closed.

5. In a relay, a base, a field magnet mounted on said base having poleshoes, an armature, a pivot shaft supporting said armature, solenoids onthe armature partly encircling said pole shoes, said solenoids adaptedto be energized by current in a direction such that one of saidsolenoids assumes a like polarity to that of the shoe which it partlyencircles whereby it is repelled. by said shoe and the other solenoidassumes an opposite polarity to that of the shoe which it partlyencircles whereby said last solenoid is attracted by said last shoe,contact points on opposite sides of said armature, two fixed contactpoints adapted to alternately engage said first contact points, springson said shaft adapted to hold said armature in such position that onepair of said contacts is normally closed, electrical connections betweeninner ends of said springs and said solenoids, and connections from theouter ends of said springs to terminals mounted on said base.

6. In a relay, a base,*a field magnet mounted on said'base having poleshoes, an armature,

a bracket, a pivot shaft supported in said bracket carrying saidarmature, solenoids on the armature partly encircling said pole shoes,contact points on opposite sides of said armature, two

fixed contact points adapted to alternately make 7. A relay comprisingin combination, a base, an electro-magnet mounted on said base havingpole shoes, an armature, a bracket, a pivot shaft supported in saidbracket carrying said armature, solenoids on the armature encirclingsaid pole shoes, contact points on opposite sides of said armature, twofixed contact points adapted to alternately make contact with said firstpoints, electrical connections from said solenoids to terminals on saidbase, and electrical connections between said armature and said fixedcontacts to binding posts on said base.

8. In a device of the character described, a magnet for providing amagnetic field having two poles, an armature, a pair of brackets carriedby said armature and located near said poles, a pair of solenoidscarried by said brackets having their center lines substantiallyconcentric with the center lines of said poles, and means for causingthe ends of the solenoids adjacent to said poles to assume a likepolarity.

9. In a device of the character described, a magnet for providing amagnetic field having two poles, a pivoted armature, a pair of bracketscarried by said armature and located near said poles, a pair ofsolenoids carried by said brackets, a contact point carried by saidarmature, a second contact point adapted to be contacted by said firstpoint, and means for causing the ends of the solenoids adjacent to saidpoles to assume a like polarity whereby one of said solenoids isattracted by the pole adjacent thereto and the other solenoids isrepelled by its adjacent pole whereby said armature is moved and saidpoints make contact with each other.

10. In a relay, a base, a field magnet mounted on said base having poleshoes, an armature, a pivot shaft supporting said armature, solenoids onthe armature partly encircling said pole shoes, contact points onopposite sides of said armature, two fixed contact points adapted toalternately engage said first contact points, two springs on said shaftelectrically insulated therefrom and adapted to hold said armature insuch position that one pair of said contacts is normally closed,electrical connections between inner ends of said springs and saidsolenoids so arranged that when current passes therethrough one of thesolenoids is adapted to assume a like polarity to that of the shoe itpartly encircles and the other solenoid is adapted to assume a polarityopposite to that of the shoe it partly encircles, and a third spring onsaid shaft for leading current to the contact points on said armature.

11. In a device of the character described having a field magnet withpole shoes, an armature comprising a pivot shaft, a pair of solenoidscarried by said shaft each adapted to cooperate with one of said shoes,springs insulatedly secured to said shaft and so connected to saidsolenoids that they assume a like polarity, and a contact arm, carriedby said shaft and adapted to be actuated by the solenoids.

12. In a device of the character described having a field magnet withpole shoes, an armature comprising a pivot shaft, a pair of solenoidscarried by said shaft each adapted to cooperate with one of said shoes,springs insulatedly secured to said shaft and so connected to saidsolenoids that they assume a like polarity, and a contact arm carried bythe shaft and disposed parallel to the axes of said solenoids andadapted to be actuated thereby.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12, in which the pivoted shaft isprovided with a plurality of springs insulatedly supported thereon, someof said springs being connected in circuit with said solenoids andothers of said springs being connected in circuit with said contact arm.

THEODORE REYMAN.

